Update 9 Uber-Stunner?

[dkyle]

Goal of this build is to make an unarmed melee that can effectively stun in Epics, with decent DPS, and viable tanking abilities (Sulu at least; perhaps not Horoth).

Main features:

* 50 DC Stunning Fist, before ship buff brings it to 51. Past lives in Fighter can bring to 54.
* DPS comparable to high STR Light Monks
* WF, for immunities and reconstructability (Dwarf would get +1 DC, though)
* Enough HP to easily tank Sulu, possibly Horoth
* Shadow Fade, nice damage mitigation for tanking.

Some potential issues:

* It is STR based, but with maxed WIS. STR is relatively low, as Fighters go, but within the realm of STR Monks, as long as power surge is on. The Kensai/Focus/Specialization extra dmg/attack should help mitigate the downsides of a low-ish STR.
* Only 7 Power Surges, so may have longevity issues in quests.
* Is a 50 or so DC good enough? The build gives up quite a bit to get there. No strikes or stances beyond tier 1. No ToD.
* Very little hate-amp built in, and not great DPS. Highly dependent on gear-based hate-amp to hold aggro. Should be able to fit decent intimidate, though, to help out.

WF Fighter 12/Monk 8
36-point build, past life Monk

STR 15 + 3 [Fighter] + 2 [tome] + 7 [item] + 1 [except.] + 8 [power surge] + 2 [sun stance]  = 38
CON 14 + 2 [Tome] + 6 [item] + 2 [except.] = 24
DEX 15 + 2 [tome] = base 17
INT 8
WIS 16 + 5 [levels] + 2 [tome] + 6 [item] + 2 [Monk] + 3 [except.] - 2 [sun] = 32
CHA 6

Stunning Fist: 10 + 10 [half level] + 10 [wraps] + 11 [WIS mod] + 2 [Kensai] + 4 [Fighter] + 3 [WF] = 50 + 1 [Ship WIS] = 51

Stunning Blow: 10 + 10 + 14 + 1 [Rage] + 2 + 4 + 3 + 1 [Madstone] = 44 + 1 [Ship STR] = 45

Avg base damage per hit: 7 [2d6 hit die] + 8 [PA] + 14 [STR] + 1 [Rage] + 2 [Kensai] + 4 [Specialization] + 2 [enhancements] + 9 [Bard] = 49 + 3 [Ship STR/Hob] = 52 + 4 [ToD rings] = 56 + Wrap’s enhancement bonus

1 PA
1mnk TWF
2 Toughness
2mnk Stunning Fist
3 Monk past life
3ftr WF: Bludgeon
4 Toughness
4ftr Stunning Blow
[5 Mnk]
6 [Ftr] Toughness
7ftr WS: Bludgeon
[8 Ftr]
9 ITWF
9ftr Imp Crit: Bludgeon
[10 Ftr]
11ftr GWF: Bludgeon
12 [Ftr] Toughness
13ftr GTW
[14 Ftr]
15 Toughness
15ftr GWS; Bludgeon
[16, 17 Mnk]
18 Toughness
18mnk Dodge
[19, 20 Mnk]

HP:
20 Base
8 * 8 = 64 Monk
10 * 12 = 120 Fighter
140 CON [24]
22 * 6 = 132 Toughness
20 Toughness enhancements
30 GFL
20 Minos
45 Shroud
10 Draconic
= 601
+ 20 Rage
+ 40 Madstone
= 661
+ 40 Yugo
= 701

Enhancements (not checked for AP spent prereqs):

3 Attack Boost II
3 Critical Accuracy II
1 Fighter Unarmed Spec I
6 Kensai II
2 Kensai Unarmed Spec II
2 Static Charge
2 Imp Jump II
2 Imp Tumble II
4 Ninja Spy I
10 Fighter Stunning IV
12 WF Tactics III
12 Fighter STR III
6 Monk WIS II
6 WF PA III
2 WF HF I
1 WF Brute I
1 Fighter Toughness I
1 Racial Toughness I
3 Haste Boost II
1 (open; Void I for finishers, perhaps?)

Any thoughts?

[voodoogroves]

Madstone, ship buffs, full +3 exceptional.


And once you can craft handwraps, of course. Metalline of Stunning 10, for instance, w/ Holy and Shock rings.

[Chai]

Are you willing to grind out 3 fighter and 3 monk lives which would both shore up DPS and give you better stun DC?

This is a similar build I have been talking about TRing my monk into if I continue to see the same issues on live I am seeing on lamma as far as stunning goes.

[dkyle]

Madstone, ship buffs, full +3 exceptional.

What about them? I didn't include +3 exceptional STR, because it's pretty hard to get without putting it on a ring.

+3 exceptional WIS isn't too bad (+1 in any epic slot, +2 from one of two sets of epic goggles, both easier to craft than the on epic cloak with +2 STR from the Desert)

And I only included +2 CON since it comes on Epic Bracers of the Claw, and a further +1 wouldn't help.

[xTethx]

This is somewhat similar to mine once the barb past life is fixed up. I've got a few more past lifes in there, but ill be goin 1/2orc and using khopeshs for the boss fights then switch to hw's to keep shadow fade up.

[dkyle]

Are you willing to grind out 3 fighter and 3 monk lives which would both shore up DPS and give you better stun DC?

Probably not.

If I built this, it would be by TRing my already TR'd once Monk. I'm dreading my first double TR XP grind, let alone wanting to do it 3 more times for the Fighter bonus.

So, whether or not 51 is enough for highly reliable stuns in Epics is pretty much the make or break on this for me. If not, I'll probably just LR to max-STR Dark, and do my best Barbarian impersonation.

I definitely would not TR Monk again just for the +1 damage.

[whomhead]

I have been considering a build very similar to this on a third TR. I was planning on 16/14/14/8/16/6 for the starting stat split. It would require a +3 dex tome, but that shouldn't be that hard to come up with by your third life. Other than that it is remarkably similar to my plan.

I did have some questions though. First, do the Fighter Stunning Blow enhancements add to the DC of Stunning Fist as well, or do they just blow (lol)?

Second is more of a concern than a question... How sad will I be in a few updates or so from now when Turbine decides that having Stunning Fist based off of total level rather than monk level is overpowered, and nerfs it back?

All in all though, it looks like a very powerful build.

[Devilteck]

Goal of this build is to make an unarmed melee that can effectively stun in Epics, with decent DPS, and viable tanking abilities (Sulu at least; perhaps not Horoth).

Main features:

* 50 DC Stunning Fist, before ship buff brings it to 51. Past lives in Fighter can bring to 54.
* DPS comparable to high STR Light Monks
* WF, for immunities and reconstructability (Dwarf would get +1 DC, though)
* Enough HP to easily tank Sulu, possibly Horoth
* Shadow Fade, nice damage mitigation for tanking.

Some potential issues:

* It is STR based, but with maxed WIS. STR is relatively low, as Fighters go, but within the realm of STR Monks, as long as power surge is on. The Kensai/Focus/Specialization extra dmg/attack should help mitigate the downsides of a low-ish STR.
* Only 7 Power Surges, so may have longevity issues in quests.
* Is a 50 or so DC good enough? The build gives up quite a bit to get there. No strikes or stances beyond tier 1. No ToD.
* Very little hate-amp built in, and not great DPS. Highly dependent on gear-based hate-amp to hold aggro. Should be able to fit decent intimidate, though, to help out.

WF Fighter 12/Monk 8
36-point build, past life Monk

STR 15 + 3 [Fighter] + 2 [tome] + 7 [item] + 1 [except.] + 8 [power surge] + 2 [sun stance]  = 38
CON 14 + 2 [Tome] + 6 [item] + 2 [except.] = 24
DEX 15 + 2 [tome] = base 17
INT 8
WIS 16 + 5 [levels] + 2 [tome] + 6 [item] + 2 [Monk] + 3 [except.] - 2 [sun] = 32
CHA 6

Stunning Fist: 10 + 10 [half level] + 10 [wraps] + 11 [WIS mod] + 2 [Kensai] + 4 [Fighter] + 3 [WF] = 50 + 1 [Ship WIS] = 51

Stunning Blow: 10 + 10 + 14 + 1 [Rage] + 2 + 4 + 3 + 1 [Madstone] = 44 + 1 [Ship STR] = 45

Avg base damage per hit: 7 [2d6 hit die] + 8 [PA] + 14 [STR] + 1 [Rage] + 2 [Kensai] + 4 [Specialization] + 2 [enhancements] + 9 [Bard] = 49 + 3 [Ship STR/Hob] = 52 + 4 [ToD rings] = 56 + Wrap’s enhancement bonus

1 PA
1mnk TWF
2 Toughness
2mnk Stunning Fist
3 Monk past life
3ftr WF: Bludgeon
4 Toughness
4ftr Stunning Blow
[5 Mnk]
6 [Ftr] Toughness
7ftr WS: Bludgeon
[8 Ftr]
9 ITWF
9ftr Imp Crit: Bludgeon
[10 Ftr]
11ftr GWF: Bludgeon
12 [Ftr] Toughness
13ftr GTW
[14 Ftr]
15 Toughness
15ftr GWS; Bludgeon
[16, 17 Mnk]
18 Toughness
18mnk Dodge
[19, 20 Mnk]

HP:
20 Base
8 * 8 = 64 Monk
10 * 12 = 120 Fighter
140 CON [24]
22 * 6 = 132 Toughness
20 Toughness enhancements
30 GFL
20 Minos
45 Shroud
10 Draconic
= 601
+ 20 Rage
+ 40 Madstone
= 661
+ 40 Yugo
= 721

Enhancements (not checked for AP spent prereqs):

3 Attack Boost II
3 Critical Accuracy II
1 Fighter Unarmed Spec I
6 Kensai II
2 Kensai Unarmed Spec II
2 Static Charge
2 Imp Jump II
2 Imp Tumble II
4 Ninja Spy I
10 Fighter Stunning IV
12 WF Tactics III
12 Fighter STR III
6 Monk WIS II
6 WF PA III
2 WF HF I
1 WF Brute I
1 Fighter Toughness I
1 Racial Toughness I
3 Haste Boost II
1 (open; Void I for finishers, perhaps?)

Any thoughts?

= 661
+ 40 Yugo
= 721

Really lmao

[dkyle]

I did have some questions though. First, do the Fighter Stunning Blow enhancements add to the DC of Stunning Fist as well, or do they just blow (lol)?

They do add to Stunning Fist currently.

Second is more of a concern than a question... How sad will I be in a few updates or so from now when Turbine decides that having Stunning Fist based off of total level rather than monk level is overpowered, and nerfs it back?

That, and a nerf to the Stunning enhancements that currently apply to Stunning Fist are certainly big concerns.

= 661
+ 40 Yugo
= 721

Really lmao

[Devilteck]

No harm meant just with all the numbers that people like to fling around this just made me laugh alittle so ty.

[Feithlin]

I may be wrong, but I think the half level counted for SF DC is half your monk levels, not total levels.
That brings your SF DC to 45, the same as your SB DC.

[dkyle]

I may be wrong, but I think the half level counted for SF DC is half your monk levels, not total levels.

This is being changed in U9:

Stunning Fist's DC no longer being tied solely to monk levels is a halo effect of fixing numerous issues tied to respeccing the feat, but it likely should have been looking at half character level all along. (The base feat in the PHB isn't monk-specific, though it is much better on a monk.)

[Feithlin]

This is being changed in U9:

Oh thx, didn't notice this.